This is a call out to artists, craftspeople and collectors in the CSRA. The Georgia Heritage Room at the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library is seeking interesting and unique materials for public display. If you are a collector of vintage memorabilia and ephemera, or a craftsperson seeking an exhibition space for your wares, we will consider giving you the opportunity to show off your work. The exhibit does not necessarily have to be related to local history or genealogy, but first priority will be given to those that do. Exhibits typically run for 8 weeks. Please contact Tina Monaco at 706.826.1511 for details, or email at genealogy@arcpls.org.

The Georgia Heritage Room is honored to present author and genealogist, Elvin Thompson on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Headquarters Library. Elvin Thompson is a historian who specializes in tracing African American ancestry. He has been conducting genealogical research since 1992, and assists both the novice and advanced genealogist with common problems that arise when researching African American family roots prior to the Civil War. He is also the author of THE BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH MY VEINS, the story of the Burns family from the slave plantations of Autauga County, Alabama.

Please join us in the Georgia Heritage Room on Thursday, January 8th at 2:00 pm for our visiting author book discussion with Robert Mullins. Mr. Mullins will be here to discuss his recently published history of Lake Olmstead, 12 Monkeys & A Green Jacket.

We would like to thank Mr. Richard H. Still for his generous gift to the Georgia Heritage Room of three pen & ink illustrations by William Edsel Snowden, Jr.

William Snowden, Jr. was born in Elberton, Georgia in 1904, and was by profession a designer, illustrator, graphic artist and writer. In 1975, he was commissioned by Georgia Railroad Bank and Trust to create a series of drawings depicting historically relevant buildings in Richmond County.

Join us on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 2:00 pm in Room A of the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library Auditorium as Erick Montgomery of Historic Augusta teaches a short workshop on how to research your current property or the old family homestead. Learn why land records are important to genealogists, what types of land records are available, and how to navigate maps, city directories, plats and land lotteries. This workshop is free and open to the public, but please call the Georgia Heritage Room to register– (706) 826-1511

In 2010, Augusta-Richmond County Public Library, Reese Library, and Paine College came together to find a way to save the audio content in some of their most important oral histories. Through a grant sponsored by the Georgia Humanities Council, many of the oral histories were digitized, and are now accessible via the internet. If you are interested in hearing the oral histories, please visit the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library website at www.arcpls.org and click on the Georgia Heritage Room tab, scroll down to the Saving The Voices From Augusta’s Past link.

The Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History will screen the independent documentary “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.”

“Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964” is an award-winning, independent documentary about women in the Class of 1964 at Spelman College, who participated in the largest coordinated, series of civil rights protests in Atlanta’s history as college freshmen. As young women – sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen years old – these willing souls were some of the foot soldiers of the Atlanta University Center who carried the Atlanta Student Movement through relentless picketing, sit-ins, kneel-ins, and other non-violent demonstrations.

Their bold activism is an Atlanta story that helped change the world. For decades, the faces in the crowd have gone unnamed; their voices unheard. Who were these young women? What motivated these students who had just completed high school to get involved in such a movement? What in their family background prepared them for such an undertaking? How did their activism as young college students impact the remainder of their college matriculation and the rest of their lives?

These questions are answered in “Foot Soldiers: Class of 1964.” Director Alvelyn Sanders tells the story of that of her mother, Dr. Georgianne Thomas, and her mother’s classmates at Spelman College, sharing the story she “grew up” hearing to honor their courage and to inspire others to engage in working for the greater good of all.

Southeastern Indians: 5000 Years of Native American History, presented by Savannah River Archaeological Research Program. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, November 1-November 30, 2014, the Georgia Heritage Room of the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library will display a collection of artifacts spanning five thousand years of Southeastern Indian culture. The Georgia Heritage Room is located on the third floor of the Headquarters Library at 823 Telfair Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901. Please call (706) 826-1511 for details. Exhibit is free and open to the public.